Filmmaker Is Ready To Roll

SUNRISE — Although Shattered and Ambush are student films that last no more than a half hour, the gritty plots, haunting close-ups and harsh dialogue have left many viewers uneasy.

"There is a lot of emotion and anger in the film [Ambush]," said filmmaker Malcolm Jones. "I'm an in-your-face director."

Images in Ambush are sharply cut. A scene of children has a distinct Sesame Street feeling but a sudden transition to a violent confrontation is surprising and forceful.

"The viewer is supposed to feel uneasy and uncomfortable," said Jones. "I'm contrasting an ideal world with the harsh reality of the way things are."

Jones may have graduated only last May from the film department at the University of Miami School of Communication, but his director's eye and grasp of the camera is gaining attention. Although he got hooked on Hitchcock films at an early age and used two VCRs and a radio to concoct his own music videos, it would be many years later and a touch of fate that led him to filmmaking.

Later this year, Jones, 25, will fly to Los Angeles to meet with producer Quincy Jones. The two met at the university's graduation, and the elder Jones wants to discuss future production possibilities.

Malcolm Jones has already directed and shot two promotional spots for rap groups recording for EKG Records. Jones' latest project is a music video for Miami rapper Trick Daddy. Plans are afoot, too, for him to direct a feature-length film to be shot on Miami Beach. The unnamed film stars rapper/producer Luke Campbell, who approached Jones about the project during his last semester at UM.

"Everything is coming together," Jones said as he adjusted his New York Yankees baseball cap, a tangible reminder of his Big Apple days.

Jones said he doesn't want to dwell on the past, but like any filmmaker, common experiences such as childhood, school and family have some degree of influence on what is captured on film. He is influenced, too, by his son, Lukas, and daughter, Layah, 3-year-old twins.

Jones was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived there until he was 5. He moved to New York with his mother, Hyacinth Durrant, and older sister, Denise. Later, the family moved to Lauderhill and settled near Northwest 19th Street.

Back then, he said, while he attended Royal Palm Elementary then Lauderhill Middle School, the area was rough and known as the "Deep Side" of the city. After too many unpleasant experiences in the neighborhood, Durrant said she moved the family to a quieter Sunrise neighborhood.

At Plantation High School, Jones was a promising football player but an injury cut pro football dreams short. He turned his full attention to academics but said, despite his hard work, he was encouraged to pursue trade school instead of college.

But Jones enrolled at Broward Community College and excelled, despite having to help care for his two young children. A BCC economics professor was so impressed by Jones that he referred him to a professor at UM. But while Jones and the UM professor discussed economics, scholarships and transferring to the school, his old childhood dream of working in entertainment came back.

"People kept telling me it was unrealistic for me to be a filmmaker," Jones said. "But I couldn't see myself as an economist or accountant."

At first he thought of returning to New York to attend film school at New York University. The top California schools crossed his mind also but, he said, he didn't want his children to grow up without him.

Another trip to UM led him to the film school. He enrolled.

"It [UM] was a culture shock. I was intimidated at first but I knew I could do just as well as anyone else," Jones said. The first few days he drove to school from Sunrise but the demands of the curriculum dictated he move to Miami.

Before long, professors in the film school began noticing Jones' work.

"He came in my class with wonderful instinct. He has tons of talent and works hard," said professor and screenwriter Rafael Lima.

At times, Jones would have 45 film-related books checked out of the university library. One Saturday he spent 16 straight hours in the film lab, then went back on Sunday to spend 12 more. That's when he met Peter Hutchinson, a filmmaking professor. They became friends despite the professor's reputation of being "too demanding."

"He was a perfectionist but those who understood him loved him," Jones said.

With Hutchinson's encouragement, Jones entered the Kodak film contest for students in 1997. He received a plaque for becoming one of eight national finalists.

Jones still gets emotional when he recalls Hutchinson's death from a drowning accident. "He didn't get to see me graduate," he said.

Jones said UM gave him the professional lessons but it is life that taught him resilience.

His best example, he said, is a Tupac Shakur concert that he produced at the now defunct Studio 183 in Miami when he was 19. "Everyone said Tupac wouldn't show up. Even his agent doubted I could pull it off," Jones said.

The concert went on. About 3,000 people turned up. But by the time Jones and his partner paid Shakur and all the bills, no big profits were left.

"It was still an accomplishment, though," he said. "It's the same way I'm approaching filmmaking. I can make it happen."

Dwayne Campbell can be reached at dcampbell@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2004.